Fifteen members of the Johanne Masowe Wechishanu Jerusarema Sect were killed early yesterday morning when their kombi veered off the road and crashed into a stone embankment along the Nyanga-Nyamaropa Road. The accident occurred at the same spot where a B&C bus crashed and killed 91 students and teachers from Regina Coeli Mission School in August 1991. The acting officer commanding police in Nyanga Superintendent Ernest Tarifenyika said 12 people died on the spot while three others died on the way to Regina Coeli Mission Hospital. "The driver of the Toyota Rosa vehicle, which belongs to Tasaranago Tours from Mucheke in Masvingo, Akiel Mazani, was carrying members of the Johanne Masowe Wechishanu Jerusarema Sect on their way to a church meeting at Kadzere in Nyanga when he lost control of the vehicle and veered off the road. "The accident happened at the 32km peg around 12:30am.

The kombi, which had 53 passengers on board, rammed a stone embankment on the extreme side of the road and 28 people were injured. "We suspect that the driver was speeding. Among the dead are three men, 10 women and three children," he said. Supt Tafirenyika said the deceased were taken to Nyanga District Hospital mortuary for post-mortem. One of the bodies took time to be removed from the wreckage because the head was said to have been pierced by a metal object. The names of the deceased could not be released as their next of kin were yet to be advised. "We are making frantic efforts to identify the bodies. All the seriously injured passengers were transferred to Mutare Provincial Hospital because there is no medical doctor at Nyanga. Only three women are admitted at Regina Coeli," he said. Nyanga district administrator Mr John Makoni said they had already activated the Civil Protection Unit committee to assist relatives of the decea- sed. "We have since sent recommendations to the relevant authorities to have the accident declared a national disaster. "It is very sad that we continue losing lives at the same spot in our district. This accident is the third one to have claimed lives at the same spot since 1991 after the Regina Coeli disaster.

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